Fox Announces Merchandising Blitz to Mark 35th Anniversary of ‘Alien’

This year marks the 35th anniversary of Ridley Scott’s Alien and Twentieth Century Fox is marking the occasion with multimedia and merchandising blitz. Earlier this week, the studio announced that it was working with Bandai, Dark Horse Comics, SEGA, Titan Books, National Entertainment Collectibles Association (NECA), and other collaborators to release a plethora of Alien-themed material, such as books, graphic novels, a video game, and, for the first time ever, action figures of the movie’s protagonist, Ellen Ripley.

In its February 18, 2014 press release, Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products made public its plans to roll out a worldwide deluge of Alien merchandise to celebrate the film’s 1979 release. The first and most notable items on the list are at least two action figures of Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley:

“National Entertainment Collectibles Association (NECA), an entertainment conglomerate and global leader in licensed consumer goods, in association with Fox Consumer Products, announces today the first-ever action figures of Lieutenant Ellen Ripley that feature the likeness of actress Sigourney Weaver, who was nominated for an Oscar® and Golden Globe® for ALIENS in 1987. The officially licensed Ripley action figures from NECA will span multiple movies within the ALIEN saga: initial plans include a figure of Ripley in her Nostromo jumpsuit from the original 1979 film, to be followed later by a Ripley figure based on the 1986 movie ALIENS, directed by James Cameron.”

In addition to NECA’s action figures, the press release also announced several other companies and projects participating in the 35th anniversary merchandising effort, including:

– Dark Horse Comics – A new comics program will debut later this year which includes Alien, Prometheus, Predator and Aliens vs. Predator.

– Diamond Select Toys and Collectibles – New collectibles including MiniMates block figures, vinyl banks, bottle openers and a reproduction of the original 18-inch Alien figure, available this summer/fall.

– Insight Editions will produce a highly-illustrated and a detailed guidebook to the Alien creature.

– NECA – Figures, board games, bobbleheads, plush and toys will hit major retail stores beginning in March 2014. Prototypes of the Ripley figures will debut later this summer at San Diego Comic-Con.

– SEGA – The highly-anticipated first person survival horror game Alien: Isolation will be available on PS4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360 and PC in late 2014.

– Sideshow Collectibles – High end, limited edition Alien franchise products, including an immense bust of the Big Chap Alien design, available for pre-order in April 2014! Check out www.SideshowCollectibles.com for Alien Franchise products, and more!

– Titan Books will release all-new canon fiction novels based on the film franchise, followed by a 35th anniversary retrospective called ‘ALIEN: Archives’ which will be the most comprehensive book ever created about the ALIEN franchise with new exclusive interviews with Ridley Scott and Sigourney Weaver and content that has never been released.”

You can see images of some of the merchandise, including the concept drawing for a Ripley action figure, the cover of SEGA’s Alien: Isolation, digital sculpts of the APC and Power Loader, and the action figures of a Xenomorph, Kane, and Bishop, by click on the thumbnails below. Let’s hope that the video game can avoid the fate of the disastrous Alien: Colonial Marines! Will you be picking up any of this merchandise? Let us know in the comments!

Dimitry is a seasoned researcher, a public media enthusiast, a lifelong gamer, and a fanatical technophile. While he holds degrees in political science, public policy, and legislative affairs from two of the nation’s finest universities, Dimitry is most proud of his Bachelor of Chiptune awarded by the chip-punk gods of Anamanaguchi. Additionally, Dimitry regularly spends far too much money on movies, video games, graphic novels, music, and the rest of his geeky passions. After a brief stint as a podcast host and a summer working with National Public Radio’s Intelligence Squared U.S., Dimitry is making his triumphant return to media as a member of the OneOfUs crew.